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Side Effect was formed by Augie Johnson and members, Lometta Johnson, Jim Gilstrap, Gregory Matta and Louis Patton in May 1972. The group played many Los Angeles area clubs and within a few months the group signed their first record deal with a company called Avenue of America-Gas Records with whom they recorded their first album Effective. The album did not chart. Not discouraged Side Effect continued to evolve. They changed female lead vocalists, from Lometta Johnson to Sylvia Nabors, and soon joined At-Home Productions, a production company headed by Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders. This new association would bear fruit with a new record deal with Fantasy Records. The self-titled Side Effect was released in 1975 but it did not chart. By their third album, What You Need they had switched vocalists from Sylvia Nabors to Helen Lowe, now gospel superstar Helen Baylor. This was their first charting album going to number 26 on the R&B charts. Two more albums Goin' Bananas and Rainbow Visions were released now featuring vocalist Sylvia St. James who replaced Lowe but they charted moderately. After these four albums were completed, Side Effect left Fantasy Records and was picked up by Elektra Records. After The Rain now featuring a 19-year-old Miki Howard replacing St. James on vocals was released in 1980. It did not do well on the charts as well as the next two Elektra albums Portraits and All Aboard. Howard left the group for a solo career in 1985. The group briefly re-united and issued a single entitled "I Love You" in 1987 (Striped Horse records label). They later became known as Augie's Side Effect.